Mizzou stuns No. 16 OU; Iowa State topples Tech

Thomas Gardner scored 11 of his 18 points in the final two minutes of regulation and the overtime, helping Missouri end a five-game losing streak with a 68-65 victory over No. 16 Oklahoma on Saturday.

"We never let their runs splinter us," Gardner said. "In previous games, we kind of got down on ourselves, but today we stayed together."

Kevin Young's layup with 1:17 left was the go-ahead basket for the Tigers (11-13, 3-7 Big 12 Conference), who twice rallied from double-digit deficits in the second half. Missouri trailed by as many as 14 points before storming back and won despite hitting only one of six free throws in overtime -- the one by Linas Kleiza for a three-point lead with 16 seconds to go.

But Gardner hit four of his last five shots -- three from three-point range -- down the stretch. And Missouri had perhaps its best defensive effort, swarming shooters in the second half and outrebounding Oklahoma 35-30 after the Sooners had a nine-rebound advantage in the first half.

"I think they were pressuring our guards out front to make that pass not as easy," Oklahoma forward Kevin Bookout said. "At the beginning of the game, they were laying off, and in the second half, they got up in us and kind of threw us off."

In the previous three games, the Tigers had been outscored, 146-87, after halftime.

"If we're going to play just one half, it's better off for us to play the second half than the first," Snyder said. "We've been playing well in the first half and then just letting up.

Missouri's Thomas Gardner (3) celebrates in front of the Oklahoma
bench, including coach Kelvin Sampson, right, after making a
three-point shot. Gardner scored 18 points, including four
three-pointers, in the Tigers' 68-65 overtime victory over the No.
16 Sooners on Saturday in Columbia, Mo.

"We were physical, we rebounded the ball, we did all the dirty work."

Snyder said he called out his players at halftime.

Lawrence McKenzie's three-point attempt from the corner just missed with two seconds to go for Oklahoma (17-6, 6-4). The Sooners' only other shot in the final minute was a long three-pointer off the backboard by Drew Lavender at the shot-clock buzzer with 39 seconds to go.

"You win some, you lose some," Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said, "and some you feel like slipped away. We certainly had every chance to win this thing."

Kleiza had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Missouri, which won for only the second time in 10 games overall. Snyder raised his record against the Sooners to 3-8.

Taj Gray had 19 points, nine rebounds and four blocks for Oklahoma, which has lost four of five. Terrell Everett added 11 points.

"They came out of the locker room breathing fire, and we didn't match their intensity at all," Oklahoma guard Jaison Williams said. "We're known for playing hard, and we just got out-competed."

No. 10 Oklahoma State 66, Texas A&M; 59

College Station, Texas -- John Lucas III scored 18 points, Joey Graham added 17, and Oklahoma State recovered from poor first-half shooting to beat Texas A&M.; After the Aggies pulled to 62-59, Ivan McFarlin scored three points in the final minute to ensure the Cowboys (19-3, 9-2 Big 12) would win their fifth straight. Texas A&M; (15-6, 4-6) got 16 points from Acie Law, and Antoine Wright scored 13. The crowd of 13,016, which included former President George H.W. Bush, was Texas A&M;'s largest ever. The win was Oklahoma State's 10th straight over the Aggies and its first victory this season that wasn't by double digits.

No. 23 Texas 75,

Kansas State 72, OT

Austin, Texas -- Daniel Gibson scored 14 points in overtime, and the Longhorns snapped a three-game losing streak. Gibson, who finished with 23 points, scored Texas' first eight in the overtime and finished it by hitting six straight free throws in the final minute. Brad Buckman had 17 points and 10 rebounds, his third double-double in three games, for Texas (16-7, 5-5 Big 12). Fred Peete was 7-for-14 from three-point range and scored 28 points for the Wildcats (13-8, 3-7).

Iowa State 81,

No. 25 Texas Tech 68

Ames, Iowa -- Jared Homan broke out of a shooting slump with 23 points, and freshman Tasheed Carr added 17 for Iowa State. The Cyclones (13-8, 5-5 Big 12) rallied from an early 14-point deficit to go up by 12 midway through the second half, then held off the Red Raiders several times to win their fifth straight game. The streak started after Iowa State had lost six in a row. Ronald Ross had 17 points for Texas Tech (15-6, 7-3), which lost for just the third time in 13 games.